Hard tags and sensors are currently used for loss prevention and asset tracking. Traditionally, these devices have appeared in various shapes and detacher platform configurations. The vast array of different hard tags and detaching methods sometimes makes it very difficult for a user to know why and/or when to use specific sensors (e.g., Electronic Article Surveillance (“EAS”) sensors, Radio Frequency Identification (“RFID”) sensors, alarming sensors, and/or store intelligence sensors). Moreover, most sensors include separate parts such as housings, pins and lanyards which further confuse the user. This confusion introduces usability and human factor problems when removing a hard tag or sensor from an article, which sometimes affects specific issues such as safety, customer experience and time (just to name a few).
These obstacles have proved to be very challenging and sometimes unavoidable when evolutions in the retail environment are considered (e.g., “self check-out”). Current solutions only consider the removal of hard tags and/or sensors by retail professionals. So, these current solutions are specifically not meant for the retail shopper's removal (especially during “self check-out”).
Another problem exists when a sensor is used for “source tagging” at the point of manufacturing. Once again the current solutions sometimes consist of multiple parts, creating a possible slowdown in the attachment process.